Broken
by Planetgreen
Summary: Brittany had to leave one dream behind to follow the other. She leaves for London and leaves a heart broken Santana in New York, trying to gain a law degree. Realising her mistake and finishing her contract, she returns home to find everything a lot different, and a fight on her hands.
1. Chapter 1

Brittany's fast pace walking down the street enables the passers by to see that she is obviously in a hurry to be somewhere.

She looks at the signs, and the different stores surrounding her and pouts, she had never been very good at directions. She takes another look at her phone screen, the message having not left it since she received it the previous night and raises her eyes to the street once again, letting out a frustrated sigh.

After a further ten minutes of searching, she finally finds the small café, secluded in an alley with no obvious signage. She enters and spots her at once, she'd able to find her anywhere, she does a quick once over and makes sure her outfit hasn't been set out of place from the fast pace walk here and then moves towards her, slipping into the seat across from her effortlessly and drawing her attention from the small child beside her.

"Britt…"  
The girl breathes out, holding eye contact for what seems like forever and then allowing a small smile to grace her features.  
"How are you?"

Brittany breathes out slowly, and then returns the smile.  
"I'm good thanks San-"  
Her sentence is interrupted by the young boy, obviously angered at the lack of attention from Santana and pounding his fist on the table.  
"_Mijo,_ that is no way to greet a friend"  
Santana coos, turning the young boy in her arms and placing a small kiss upon his nose. The young boy relaxes his face instantly and stares up at the woman, bringing his hand to his cheek and running it across her face, receiving a grin from both Brittany and Santana.  
"Britt, this is the number one man in my life, Luca. Luca, this is _Mami's _oldest and most favorite friend"  
Brittany's eyes snap up to Santana's; Mami? She hadn't mentioned anything about having a child. A silent conversation happens between them, both girls easily falling back into old habits.

Luca breaks the concentration again, crying out at his mother and fisting his small hands into her shirt.  
"Aren't you a cutie"  
Brittany says, moving the boy's concentration from his mother.  
"He's amazing"  
Santana breathes, the nerves painted all over her face disappearing with Brittany's eagerness to talk to her son.  
"He's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen"  
Brittany returns, refusing to break eye contact.

_4 years earlier._

"_Baby, I'm home"  
Santana called out as she closed the front door to their small apartment, making sure she pulled the door extra hard so it didn't 'accidently' open at an inconvenient time…again.  
"I'm in the kitchen beautiful"  
Brittany returned, urging Santana to quicken her pace through the apartment.  
She waltzed into the kitchen and her breath taken away once again by her girlfriend, clad in an apron, no pants and an old McKinely high t-shirt, cooking what seemed to be a bubbly concoction.  
"What's cooking good lookin'?"  
Santana giggled as she placed a small kiss on her girlfriends cheek and proceeded to follow it by kissing every inch of her skin from the neck up until she finally reached her lips, placing a firm a long kiss against them.  
"mmm"  
Brittany sighed.  
"I made a cake, and then I felt like cooking dinner, so I began to cook spaghetti and the recipe just got confusing so I'm not really sure, we'll see how it comes out I guess"  
Brittany stated as Santana grimaced internally, not allowing the smile to slip from her lips and wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's waist from behind.  
"Baby, I'm all for experiments, but promise me if this one ends up toxic we'll just get Chinese? Please?"  
Santana whispered, biting the taller girls earlobe softly.  
"Ugh, fine San. But don't come crying to me when you're a fat lawyer because you never let me cook for you so you only ever eat take out"  
Brittany huffed, turning in her girlfriend's arms and placing a kiss on the corner of her mouth.  
"How was school babe?"  
She asked into her lips, moving the shorter girl's arms from her waist to her shoulders and returning her own hands to the small of Santana's back.  
"It was good, I just can't wait until next year when I finish and I become a lawyer"  
Santana groaned, recalling her absurdly long day.  
"Well at least you're home now beautiful"  
Brittany said, running her hands through the other girl's hair._

_Later, when the table had been set, the cooking had become a fiasco due to the girl's inability to keep their hands off each other and the Chinese take out had been delivered; Brittany and Santana sat either side of their small kitchen table, holding hands and picking through their meal._

"_I uh, I got a letter from that dance school I told you I wrote to Baby"_

_Brittany said, raising her eyes to meet Santana's.  
"Ah yeah"  
Santana said, sipping slowly from her wine glass.  
"Which one was that again Britt?"  
She asked, recalling Brittany writing to a number of schools looking for a teaching position. The girl was easily employable, having danced with a number of famous musicians on tour and dabbling into choreography frequently._

"_Well, I got offered a four year contract to teach contemporary ballet"  
Brittany whispered, looking down at her meal.  
Santana burst into a grin automatically, jumping from her seat and moving to wrap her girlfriend in a hug.  
"Baby! That's fantastic, I'm so proud of you, you're so smart"  
She shouted, peppering kisses over Brittany's face.  
Brittany pushed her away, her features remain neutral when she replied to Santana.  
"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity San, and when I finish, any school anywhere will want me."  
Santana's smile grew larger then, moving herself to kneel in front of the taller girl.  
"Baby, how are you not as excited as me right now?"  
She asked, her smile fading when she saw tears forming in Brittany's eyes.  
"It's the Royal Academy of Dance, Santana"  
She whispered, threading her finger's through the other girl's.  
"The Royal Academy of Dance in London"  
She said, and let the tears fall.  
"I'm so sorry Santana, I said yes"  
Santana's breath left her._

Santana cleared her throat when the drinks arrived, having been consumed by Brittany's eyes and her memories. A donut is placed in front of her son and he readily reaches for it, already transferring the majority of icing found on it's surface to his clothes and face, coating his cheeks and chin with sprinkles.  
"It's been so long Britt"

She says quietly, bringing her coffee to her lips.  
"It's nice to see that old habits die hard though"  
Brittany says, giggling as she watches the smile on Santana's face after taking a large gulp of the hot drink.  
"You've always had trouble functioning without your coffee"  
Santana smiled at her sweetly, relishing in the fact she can still make the girl giggle.  
"And where did you come from little man?"  
Brittany asks, reaching out with her finger to wipe the small amount of icing on Luca's nose off and sending him into a fit of giggles.  
"I thought we'd covered that topic Britt"  
Santana says, smirking at Brittany with a teasing glint in her eyes.  
Returning the smirk confidently Brittany meets her eyes.  
"Oh we did San, but I was under the impression that the way you liked it didn't result in miracles"  
She says, allowing her voice to get deeper at the end of her sentence.  
"Especially miracles with their _Mami's _eyes, smile and hair"

Santana allows herself to laugh out loud, urging a number of dirty looks from the people sitting around them.  
"Luca is my shining light in darkness"  
She replies to Brittany.  
"He came along when I wasn't in a very good place, it was a uh- he you know, I kind of-"  
"It's okay San"  
Brittany says, reaching across the table and taking her hand.  
"You can tell me another time, I think someone's getting tired too"  
She says, smiling sweetly.  
Santana nods her head and turns her attention back to her son, who is snuggling into her neck with his eyes growing heavy. 

"So uh, how was London?"  
Santana asks, shifting nervously in her seat. They had been dancing around the topic for the hour that they had been in the small coffee shop.  
Brittany smiles at Santana and Luca, Luca being curled up on his Mother's lap asleep.  
"London was good. It was an amazing experience and I met a lot of really nice and great people. I never really good used to being called Miss Pierce though"  
She says, making Santana laugh nervously.  
"I don't really see you being a Miss Pierce"  
She teases, causing Brittany to join her in laughter.  
"No, it didn't last very long to be honest. It became Miss P or Miss Brittany very fast, like first class fast"  
She responds maintaining eye contact with Santana whilst she shifts anxiously in her chair, juggling her son.  
"It's good to see you San, I missed you"  
She says quietly, losing her eyes contact with the other woman when she glances down to the floor and clears her throat.  
"So, uh what's the plan now? When are you going back?"  
Santana asks, not doing very good at hiding the sad tone in her voice.  
Brittany lowers her head down to gain the upper hand, forcing Santana to look into her eyes.  
"My contract finished actually."  
She says, causing Santana's head to snap up.  
"I've moved all my things back here and I bought a studio, I'm going to open my own dance school. I was actually going to ask you if-"  
"Anyway Brittany, I have to get this little guy home, it's been good catching up, maybe we can do it again"  
Santana says and stands up abruptly, gathering all her things. Brittany stands also, her moves graceful and slow, helping Santana move everything into her hand bag.  
"Okay San"  
She says moving towards her and wrapping her arms around the small Latina's waist, hearing her breath hitch at the sudden contact. She holds the woman and the small child close to her for a moment too long and then releases her.  
"Please message me, or call me. I don't want to have to lost you a second time" She says, and kisses her on the cheek, walking to the door of the coffee shop and exiting with a small wave.  
"Don't forget to call me"  
She shouts, as Santana with Luca resting on her hip raises one hand to her cheek, consciously aware of how her body has tingles all through it.


	2. Chapter 2

Brittany inserted her key into the lock of her new apartment, opening the door to reveal a relatively empty space, not having bought all her furniture yet and still waiting for most of her belongings to be shipped over, she didn't see the point of beginning until she had everything. She placed her bag down on the kitchen counter and pulled her phone out of her pocket, sending two messages.

**To: Santana Lopez**

**I really enjoyed seeing you today, we should do it again really soon.**

** To: Quinn Fabray  
Call me right now Quinn.**

She wasted her time putting the phone on the bench because it started ringing straight away, Quinn Fabray flashing persistently on the screen. She slide her finger across the green call button and raised the phone to her ear.  
"Hello"

She said shortly,  
"Britt, did you meet her? What happened? Did it go well? What did you say? Gosh, what did she-"  
Quinn called down the phone, barely breaking for a breath within questions.  
"Quinn"  
Brittany cut her off mid question.  
"I met her, it was fine, it was weird. We just spoke about things, just random stuff. However, what we did not really talk about, and what you failed to talk about also was the fact that I met Luca today."  
Brittany said down the phone, anger seething through her words.  
"Please, tell me how you managed to leave out that small detail when I called you asking about the love OF MY LIFE, and she had been while I was STUPID and left?"  
Brittany yelled, breathing heavily.  
"Shit"  
She heard down the other end of the phone.  
"I mean, did she wake up one day and decided she was straight? Oh god, is she married? She's married isn't she? I didn't even check for a ring! Is she with another woman? A man? Did she finish law school and find the perfect person?"  
Brittany had tears streaming down her face, as she slammed her back against the wall in the kitchen, sliding down until she was sitting on the cold, tiled floor.  
"What's going on Quinn?"  
She asked, her voice barely audible. Quinn chuckled nervously on the other line of the phone, clearing her throat before speaking.  
"Uh, I can't really tell you what happened Britt, that's up to Santana to reveal. But in answer to your ridiculous amount of questions; no, she did not wake up one day and decide she was straight she's still to this day, very, very gay. She's definitely not married, as far as I know. She is not in a relationship at the moment as far as she's told me, man or woman and she did finish law school, but she already had the perfect person."  
Brittany let out a breath that she didn't even realize she'd been holding in.  
"He's beautiful Quinn"  
She whispered to her friend, wrapping one arm around her stomach, as if to hold herself together.  
"He's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."  
Quinn sighed, she felt sorry for her friend, understanding her level of heartbreak.  
"I know Sweetie,"  
She said, in an attempt to comfort her friend.  
"I missed out didn't I? Everything's going to happen without me Quinn"  
She said, letting the tears stream down her face.  
"I love her so much, how can I be selfish like that Quinn? I left her, I didn't even really talk to her about it at all, yet four years later, when I decide to come waltzing back into her life and moving back into the same city as her, she's moved on and I'm still as in love with her as I was on the day we kissed each other when we were thirteen. I broke her heart Quinn"

Brittany cries out, bringing her hand to her mouth.  
"Britt, honey, calm down for a second. You followed your dreams sweetie, the heart is such a complex thing, all you and Santana really knew in love was each other. Sure, there were boys in there, and the occasional girl, hell I came into the mix but none of that was real love though, you only every knew love for each other. Yes, you left, you broke her heart-"  
Brittany cries out painfully.  
"the heart was made to be broken though Brittany, maybe she mended it by moving on, maybe she mended it with Luca, but love is so complex and so difficult. You never forget someone you love like you two loved each other. She's not going to come running into your arms Britt, you really did break her, she lost her lover, her confidant and her best friend. Re-kindling is hard, you just need to focus on getting back her friendship."

Brittany's crying subdues slightly, thinking about what Quinn has said.  
"We only ever knew each other Quinn, we only ever loved each other. I don't know if she'll want me, lover or friend, ever again."  
Brittany says into the phone, tears still flowing freely.  
"Britt, Santana is always going to want you."

_Brittany stands in their bedroom with her suitcase open on the bed, folding each item of clothing and putting it in place perfectly. She picks up Santana's cheerio sweatshirt and holds in to her face, inhaling the scent of her lover, then bringing it away and putting it her suitcase with her t-shirts. She hears the front door to the apartment open, ignoring it, she continues to pack.  
"Brittany? Brittany? Where are you? Britt- oh, are you packing already?"  
Santana asks, walking slowly into the room and placing her car keys down on their chest of drawers.  
"Yeah, I uh, I just though I'd get it out of the way first; you know, so I can pack the bigger stuff later"  
Santana nods her head slowly and moves to stand beside the other girl, picking up another shirt and folding it delicately, leaving Brittany at the chest of drawers and moving to the suitcase on the bed, as she lays the shirt down with the others, she notices her high school sweatshirt sitting snuggly in the case.  
"Do you have an apartment there?"  
She asks Brittany, re-arranging the clothes slightly so that everything will fit more.  
Brittany turns around to face Santana, still clutching onto an old t-shirt.  
"You can be mad, you know?"  
She says quietly, eyes cast down.  
"What do you mean B?"  
Santana asks, removing the shirt from her grasp and folding it slowly.  
"I didn't tell you Santana; I know you're breaking. It's four years; I leave in three days. Yell at me, scream at me. Tell me you hate me. Just stop pretending like you're okay, like it doesn't matter"_

_Santana throws the t-shirt onto the bed forcefully.  
"It does matter, it REALLY matters Brittany. Don't tell me that I don't think that this matters. You're leaving and you didn't say anything! How long did you know? Why didn't you tell me you applied to FUCKING LONDON? That's half a world away Brittany! Did you get that? Did you get that I couldn't come with you. My life is meant to be with you, but at the moment it's here at law school! We were going to get married Britt, and have babies, you'd dance, I'd be a lawyer, it was going to be perfect, we were going to be perfect. Now you're going away for a really long time baby. We know long distance relationships don't work. We know we don't go well without each other and you're still leaving me"  
Santana broke down in tears, collapsing onto the bed.  
"Don't you love me anymore? Am I good enough for you? I'll change, just don't leave me baby, please don't leave"  
Brittany moved onto the bed, tears streaming down her face and wrapped her arms around Santana.  
"Oh Honey, I'm so sorry. Of course I love you, you're my everything San, I love you more than I have ever loved anything or anyone. Baby, look at me"  
Brittany said as she grapsed Santana's chin, urging her to look into her eyes.  
"I love you, so much, so much it hurts. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, it's my dream"  
Brittany said softly, holding the eye contact of the other girl.  
"What about me though Britt, because you were my dream"  
Santana whispered, her eyes darting back and forth between Brittany's.  
"You can't just leave, and expect me to wait forever."  
She said, more tears falling from her eyes.  
"San, honey, I don't. I expect you to live, to become a badass lawyer and tear apart New York, I expect you to do everything you wanted. And then maybe we'll find each other again"  
Santana nodded slowly, moving her eyes back down to the floor.  
"But what if I'm a once in a lifetime opportunity?"  
She whispered._

Brittany woke the next morning dressed in her clothes from the day before, grasping a sweatshirt to her chest. As she folded it neatly and set it in a draw she reached for her phone and checked for any messages. 

** From: Santana Lopez**

**Hi Brittany, I enjoyed out meeting. It was good to catch up with you; I would also love to do it again. Send me a message or call me when you would like to see each other.**

**Thank you.**

Brittany furrowed her brow at the formality of the message, she'd only ever witnessed Quinn use semi-colons when texting someone. She giggled slightly and typed out a reply.

** To: Santana Lopez**

**I'm free when you're free S, how's brunch? **

She asked, looking at the digital clock on her bedside table and seeing that it was only nine o'clock in the morning. She gathered her clothes for the new day and moved to the bathroom. When she was finished showering, she read the new message on her phone.

** From: Santana Lopez**

**Brunch sounds good, I just have to take Luca to his Dad and then I should be ready. Do you want me to pick you up at 11?**

Brittany bit her lip in though before typing out her reply, sprinting to the bathroom to do her makeup.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is my little side project while I waste my time procrastinating instead of exams; I hope it's enjoyable.**

**Please review.**

**Thank you.**

At eleven o'clock sharp there was a knock on the door to Brittany's apartment. Brittany bounced over to the door, trying to pull her shoe on and unlocked it quickly to reveal Santana.  
"Hey San, sorry, I couldn't find my shoes and now I can't get them on, everything's a bit of a mess this morning"  
She said, raising her eyes to meet Santana's and giving her a crooked grin, seeing Santana's eyes sparkle.  
"That's okay Babe, I'm not on a time limit"  
Santana said, her hand flying to cover her mouth.  
"Shit, Brittany, I'm really sorry, it just came ou-"  
"Don't fret about it"  
Brittany breathed.  
"It happens all the time"  
She said, shrugging her shoulder and trying to make light of the situation. Santana, with her hand still over her mouth laughed nervously.  
"Seriously Santana, it's fine, let's just forget it"  
Brittany said, finally getting her shoes on and reaching for her keys and coat. "Where are we off to?"  
She said, giving Santana a small smile which the other girl weakly returned.

The two women exited the apartment complex keeping a safe distance from each other. Santana leading Brittany to a red Honda Civic, unlocking the door and entering the driver's side of the vehicle.  
"You sold Cecil"  
Brittany commented, getting into the car and fastening her seatbelt.  
Santana gave her a perplexed look and hummed questioningly, putting her keys into the ignition, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.  
"Cecil, you sold him"  
Brittany said, running her hand over the leather interior of the car. Santana glanced sideways at Brittany, grimacing when she found the other women staring at her.  
"Yeah, uh I had Luca, and then I was earning a high wage as a lawyer, I could kind of afford to buy a safer, more child friendly car"  
Santana said, easily navigating the car through the busy streets of New York. 

The remainder of the car ride was silent except for the sounds of the radio until they pulled up at a dinner, fifteen minutes into their trip.  
"Here's our place"  
Santana said, unclipping her seatbelt and moving out of the car. Brittany stayed seated in the car, mouth open in surprise, she hadn't even realized where Santana was steering the car; one block from their old apartment, snug in between two massive buildings is 'Sal's'. A small, little diner; a place Brittany and Santana visited for years.

A sharp knock on her window pulled Brittany from her thoughts.  
"You coming Princess? Or do I have to wait another two hours for my coffee?"  
Santana said, opening the door of the car.

They entered the diner and immediately walked to their booth, both body's moving from muscle memory.  
"I still come here all the time with Luca"  
Santana said, playing with the salt shakers.  
"Best pancake stack in all of New York except for yours"  
Brittany agreed, nodding her head, a gasp interrupted both girls.  
"Do my eyes deceive me, or is the Santana Lopez bringing someone that isn't my boy Luca into my diner"  
A very familiar voice asked, gaining both girls attention.  
"Sal…"  
Santana breathed.  
"I thought you didn't work Saturdays"  
She said, glancing warily at Brittany.  
"Well Santana, one of my girls called in sick"  
The little old lady said, flipping her note pad across her fingers in a rhythmic pattern.  
"And I was the only one that could cover her shift, the poor dal."  
She followed, nodding her head.  
"Why is your girl not facing me Lopez? Did her mother not teach her manners? Are you going to introduce us?"  
Sal said, nodding her head towards Brittany, who was staring out the window, eyes focused intently on nothing.

"Ah well, what can I get the lass? I already know your order Tana, coffee with a side of coffee and some bacon and eggs."  
She said, chuckling to herself. Santana cleared her throat and glanced at Brittany, still staring out the window.  
"Uh, she'll have a strawberry shake and a stack of pancakes and maple syrup"  
Santana said nervously, looking at her hands clasped in front of her, raising her head when she heard the notepad drop.

"Brittany Pierce, you look at me right away."  
They heard, both wincing at the name being called Brittany slowly raising her eyes to meet Sal's.  
"Hey Sal"  
She said quietly, smiling slightly.  
"Long time no see"  
Sal screamed and threw herself into the booth, engulfing Brittany into a bone crushing hug, surprising for a woman of her age and size.  
"Brittany! I Never thought I'd see you again, you just stopped coming one day, and the devil herself over there used to bite anyone's head off and eat them instead of her eggs if someone spoke about you! Where have you been kid?"  
The older lady said laughing and standing up again, grinning from ear to ear. Brittany laughed at the enthusiasm of her old friend and smiled back at her.  
"Actually, I've been in London, teaching dance"  
She said, flicking her eyes over to Santana.  
"I'm so happy to see you!"  
Sal said, clapping her hands together.  
"Both meals on the house for my two lovebirds!"  
She shouted and ran to the kitchen.  
"Oh no-"  
"We're not together"  
Both girls yelled out as Sal ran away, their comments falling on deaf ears.

They sat in silence, searching for a topic and both avoiding eye contact.  
"So…uh"  
Brittany said, fidgeting awkwardly with the edge of the menu on the table; a habit that she picked up as a young child.  
"It's okay Brittany, you can ask me about him"  
Santana said, looking up to meet the other woman's eyes.  
The remained silent again, just looking at each other, searching in the depths of each other's eyes for something they weren't even sure they wanted to find. Brittany breathed in deeply before speaking again.  
"How, um, how old is he?"  
She whispered, tearing the edge of the menu off and rolling it into a ball.  
"Luciano Carlos Lopez, my Luca, he is two years old, almost three. Luciano, it means light and-"  
"Carlos is your _Papi's _name"  
Brittany cut in, smiling at Santana under hooded eyelashes.

"Yeah, Carlos is _Papi's _name"  
Santana repeated, searching Brittany's face for any clue as to how she felt.

_4 years earlier._

_Santana opened her eyes to the morning sun streaming through her blinds, rolling over; she buried her head into a pillow and groaned.  
"Britt, get the blinds"  
There was no response from the body beside her, Santana noticed the distinct smell of cologne, and slight snores erupting from the body beside her. Sitting up fast in her bed she was greeted with the confirmation of her suspicions. Laying in bed next to her was a man, fast asleep and butt naked.  
"WHAT THE FUCK!"  
Santana screamed, jumping from the bed and startling the man awake.  
"What the FUCK are you doing in my apartment!?"  
She shouted, pointing her finger at the man who stared up at her bashfully, it was then that she noticed her clothing situation, or lack thereof scrambling to cover her body with the sheet on the bed.  
"Please tell me what is going on?"  
She said to the man, eyes pooling with tears.  
"Woah there sweetheart"  
The man said from the bed, reaching down and handing her a t-shirt from the floor.  
"I've never received a reaction like that before, are you okay?"  
He said, handing the shirt to her carefully._

"_¿Estoy bien? me veo bien? Acabo he despertado con un hombre al azar que pone en la cama donde mi novia normalmente es! Estoy completamente desnuda, por lo que son! ¡Dios mío, estás desnuda! ¿Cómo fue esto incluso sucede?!"(_ _Am I okay? do I look okay? I've just woken up to a random man laying in my bed where my girlfriend normally is! I am completely NAKED, so are you! oh my god, you're naked! How did this even happen?!)_

_Santana ran from the room to her bathroom, locking the door behind her and sliding down until she was sitting against the cold tiles, tears streaming down her face, she didn't know how long she had been in there when she left. Her apartment was void of all forms of life, especially the guest to her impromptu slumber party. Sporting a killer headache she moved to the kitchen in search of some painkillers when she found the note._

_**Hey Chica,  
you seemed to be in a state this morning,  
I'm sorry about how the morning unfolded, I can tell you weren't very impressed.  
I hope you're feeling okay, give me a ring if you need to talk about anything.  
-Oliver**_

_She grasped the note in both hands before scrunching it into a small ball and throwing it, landing behind the fridge and forgotten.  
She reached for her phone and dialed a familiar number. Ringing out three times before the person on the other end answered.  
"You better have an excellent fucking reason to wake me up at ten thirty on a Sunday Lopez"  
Quinn Fabray hissed into the phone causing Santana to wince at the sudden sound and lack of pain relief.  
"Quinn"  
she choked out, fighting back a flood of tears.  
"I slept with someone"  
_

_Quinn sighed into the phone, sympathy flooding her when she heard her close friend's words.  
"Honey, it's going to happen, you cant avoid these things. B is gone-"  
"It was a man, Q"_

_Santana cried into the phone, sobs wracking through her body.  
"A big, smelly, snorey, sweaty man"_

_The was a long silence, only filled with Santana's sobs and Quinn's breath until the blonde spoke.  
"I'll be over tonight"  
She said, clicking the end button._

_Santana sat on the floor of her once lively apartment, surrounded by clothes and empty alcohol bottles, Brittany had left her a month prior, the had ended their relationship that day at the airport, an emotional farewell of more than just a person. _

_She still felt like she cheated, she curled up in the middle of her bedroom and cried, wearing Brittany's old t-shirt. A sharp knock on her door hours later alerted her to Quinn's presence and she spent the next two days yearning for her lover._

Brittany took a deep breath, thinking over Santana's words.  
"You said yesterday you were taking Luca to his father's today…"  
She said, staring into Santana's eyes, their food come and gone, and their plates laying forgotten on the table.  
"After I found out I was pregnant, Quinn and I searched for Oliver's number everywhere. It wasn't fair to leave him out of the picture. It was as much him as me."  
Brittany nodded, agreeing with Santana's words.  
"So are you…?"  
Brittany hinted, wiggling her eyebrows at the latina and causing her to throw her head back in laughter.  
"Oh god no! Britt, I am still one hundred percent gay! Both Oliver and I were very drunk and made a stupid, childish mistake, but that mistake was beautlful, and out of it came the most wonderful miracle of my life. Oliver and I became very close friends throughout my whole pregnancy; he was there every step of the way. I love him dearly, but it's very much just best friend love"  
She laughed, pulling a photo from her purse.  
"This is him and Luca"  
She said, holding out the small card to Brittany, revealing a handsome young man around their age with sandy colored curly hair sitting on one side of the small boy, Santana at the other. Brittany stared deeply at the photo, looking at the likeness between father and son, and what she could see of Santana in the young boy. They were sitting in a path, Luca grinning up at his mother as her she was laughing, the man smiling at them both lovingly.

Santana studied Brittany's face from across the other side of the table, watching her take in her son and his father.  
"The most amazing thing Britt, was when he opened his eyes and really looked at me for the first time, it was all you."  
Brittany stares at the photo again, her eyes drawn to Luca's. A deep, ocean blue twinkling, and staring back at her.


	4. Chapter 4

Brittany had now been home for one month, dedicating the whole time to organizing her studio and meeting Santana at regular intervals. She had not seen Luca since they first met.

Santana sat in the driver's seat of her car, weaving through the busy traffic of New York City.  
"_Mami?"  
_A little voice behind her called out as indicated right, turning into a side street.  
"What's up baby boy?"  
She said, parking the car swiftly and turning it off, moving her body around to face her son. Luca looked up at her, his big blue eyes open wide.  
"Can I see Bwittany again?"  
Santana raised her eyebrow at him questioningly.  
"What do you mean _Mijo?_"  
She asked, getting out of the car and unfastening his car seat, lifting him into her arms and nuzzling into his neck. The boy giggled and placed his hands either side of her face raising her head to meet his eyes.  
"You know _Mami_, your good friend Bri-Briatt-"  
"Brittany?"  
Santana asked, dragging a finger down the young boys cheek and bopping his nose.  
"Yeah _Mami_"  
He said, nodding enthusiastically.  
"Bwittittany"

Santana laughed, amused at the little boy's attempts to pronounce the woman's name.  
"I'll have to ask her _Mijo,_ but at the moment, we have to get you to your Dad's. I'll talk to Brittany about coming to see you when you come home"  
She said, kissing his cheek and walking into the apartment complex.

She entered the foyer, son on her arm and immediately moved to the elevator.  
"Sweetheart"  
A voice called, gaining her attention.  
"Sweetheart, over here"  
The man called again, moving towards her and pressing a kiss to the small boy's head and then pressing his lips to her ear.  
"Just play along okay, I haven't been able to get rid of this one all morning."  
Santana sighed, huffing her shoulders and looking at the man sternly.  
"Hey Baby"  
She said, drawing out the end of the word.  
"Luca and I just flew in, it's so good to be home, how was your week?"  
She said, running her free hand through the little boys hair and staring at the petite brunette at Oliver's side. The girl seemed to cringe as Oliver placed his lips to his son's forehead again, urging a laugh from the little boy as he pulled him into his arms.  
"Yeah Love, my week was good. I didn't do much"  
He said, winking at Luca, who stared up at him.  
"Hmmm"  
Santana said, eyes not leaving the other woman."  
"And did you get that rash sorted out?"  
She asked, looking at him innocently, as the man snapped his eyes to hers.  
"The, uh, the what?"  
He stuttered, eyes widening.  
"Oh you know baby, don't be shy!"  
She said, smirking at him.  
"You know the rash, the reason we haven't been with each other for so long?"  
She grinned, wiggling her eyebrows.  
"Oh my god!"  
They heard beside them, eyes immediately drawn to the brunette, with obvious party clothes on from the night before. As she turned on her heel and left Santana allowed herself to laugh, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She moved away from Oliver and pressed down the button for the elevator.  
"You know Ol, I'd appreciate it if you kept your conquests away from our Son. There are things that I really don't want him to witness until well after forty"

She said, stepping in and crossing her arms, glaring at him in true Lopez style. 

Oliver looked at her, grimacing at how serious her expression was.  
"Come on San; don't be like that. You know I would never do anything to make him grow up too fast. She just wouldn't leave, she followed me down to get my mail for fu-uh-ruits sake. I never, ever have anyone over when Luca is here that he doesn't already know or would feel uncomfortable with. Do I buddy?"  
He asked, tickling the little boy in his arms, causing him to laugh hysterically.  
"Yeah _Mami" _  
He giggled, putting his arm on her shoulder.  
"Daddy's true"  
He nodded seriously, holding eye contact until Santana had no choice but to break into a grin.  
"Okay, but no more funny business"  
She said, pointing her finger at the older man, he mock saluted her as they exited the elevator, causing Luca to mimic him, raising his fingers to his forehead and smiling.

Oliver opened the front door to his apartment, waltzing in and setting Luca down on the ground.  
"How about you run to your room and grab a toy buddy, but say good bye to _Mami _first"  
He said, ruffling the boys hair affectionately.  
"Okay Daddy"  
He said, moving forward and extending his arms to his mother, wiggling his fingers. Santana laughed as she pulled the little boy into her arms, holding him close and turning her head into his neck.  
"I love you _Mami_"  
He whispered, turning his head to kiss her on the cheek.  
"_Te quiero Mijo" _(I love you son)  
She whispered into his dark, curly hair and set the small boy on the ground, watching him scamper down the hall that lead to his bedroom. Santana turned on the man again, finger pointed at his chest.  
"I mean it Oliver"  
She said through gritted teeth.  
"No. Funny. Business."  
"Babe, I get it"  
The man cut in, placing his hand on her arm.  
"Bed-time is seven o'clock, don't let him sleep without Tubsy, or he has nightmares, only give him water or milk after three or he won't sleep-"  
"Santana, I get it! We do this every weekend, in case you have forgotten, the boy happens to be my son also. You know I know everything"  
He said, winking at her and steering her to the front door.  
"I know bu-"  
"Santana Marie Lopez, get out of my house and enjoy your weekend!"  
The man said, leaning forward to kiss her on the cheek.  
"We'll see you on Sunday night because that's-"  
"Family night"  
Santana said, nodding her head once and looking up at the man, her eyes wide.  
"Look at us, finishing each other's sentences Mama!"  
He said affectionately, flashing her a toothy grin, blue eyes sparkling.  
"How utterly domestic, too bad you're not too interested in my kind of domesticity."  
He joked, hugging her and laughing softly as she continued to stare at him.  
"Santana, it's Friday night, go out or go home!"  
He said, still laughing quietly to himself.  
"Right, yeah home"  
She whispered, turning to leave, hesitating when she reached the door.  
"Love you Babe"  
The man called as she exited the apartment.  
"Fruit you Loser!"  
She called back as she closed the door, laughing at her friend and the father of her child.

Santana rounded the street corner and pulled her car up into the driveway of a large, suburban house. Exiting the car she strode to the front door, knocking on it non-stop until it opened showing an angered Quinn Fabray; arms crossed and eyebrow raised questioningly.  
"Don't look at me like that Fabray!"  
She said, throwing her hands into the air and marching into the house.  
"I can't get her out of my head. I feel like a teenager again. I'm twenty-seven years old and I STILL can't stop thinking about Brittany Pierce. Do you have any alcohol? She just waltzed into my life and then all of a sudden it's like my body is on autopilot! Do you know how that feels?"  
She asked, turning to look at Quinn.  
"Santana"  
She started but was cut off by the Latina.  
"She's in my veins for fuck sake! You're in my veins, does that make you happy?"  
She shouted, covering her face with her hands.  
"Santana"  
Quinn said again, her tone sympathetic yet firm as she reached out to the woman.  
"I mean; I have a son Quinn, a son! But I still love her GOD! I mean I'm in love with her, I love her, I love her so much it burns Quinn. But I have Luca, and I need to be his mother more than I want her to be my love but ella es mi querido-"  
"Woah there Lopez, you need to stop the ranting befor-"  
There was a bang in the doorway that drew the attention of both women. Brittany stood there with a box of tissues in one hand.  
"How does someone get into your veins San, does it hurt?"  
She said questioningly, raising the tissue box to the crying woman,


	5. Chapter 5

"Fucking hell Fabray! Why didn't you tell me?!"  
Santana said, frowning at the blonde woman beside her as Quinn slapped her on the shoulder warningly.  
"Watch it Lopez, do you kiss your son with that mouth?"  
She said, tugging on the Latina's arm and pulling her into the kitchen, Brittany tailing behind them quietly. Quinn poured Santana a glass of wine to match the other two already sitting at her table and sat down, raising her eyebrow expectantly.

Brittany and Santana both reluctantly and hesitantly sat down side-by-side, where their wine glasses had been set by Quinn, she folded her hands in front of her and looked at the two girls seriously.  
"We need to talk"  
She said, eyeing them both for a reaction. Santana scoffed and reached for her wine glass, downing half of it before leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.  
"Do we just Fabray? And what is it we're talking about? The fantastic world that is Santana Lopez? Or your weird homoerotic love for Rachel Berry?"  
She snapped, earning a chuckle from Quinn who just stared lovingly at the other girl.  
"Don't you put your walls up at me Santana Lopez, and I'm going to take offence on behalf of the three of us here and your strangely hypercritical, homophobic and weird comment."  
Santana and Quinn were engaged in a staring contest when Brittany piped up.  
"Did you know that turtles can breath through their butts?"  
She said, staring at Santana deeply until the other woman looked at her, Quinn remained out of their conversation; she had never been on the same level as the two women. Since they were all little girls Santana and Brittany had been able to communicate by glances, touches, even by just feeling the other's presence in the room comforted them.

Santana stood from the table and walked away, moving down the hall into the small bathroom that Quinn had in her house, passing pictures of Beth, and all their friends from high school. She turned and locked the door, wrapping her arms around her knees as she sat down on the cold, tiled floor. Letting her head fall down against the top of her legs, she cried.

Brittany and Quinn remained seated where they were they had been before Santana ran out.  
"What just happened between you two?"  
Quinn asked, looking at Brittany, a crease in between her eyebrows and bringing her glass to her lips. Brittany sighed deeply and played with her fingers, tapping them in a rhythm against the table.  
"She's hurting; she doesn't want to let me in. I think her body does it anyway though; mine does. It's an automatic response for me to just give everything to her"  
Brittany said, flexing one hand and fanning it out.  
"Grosse Britt"  
Quinn muttered into her glass, finishing the remainder of her wine, standing and moving into her lounge room.  
"I'm going to read"  
She said with a wave of her hand and moving to walk out of the room, turning last minute to Brittany.  
"There are hair pins in my top draw"

Santana was too distracted to hear the clicking of the lock on the door until it was closed and locked again. Refusing to look up, she pushed her head further into her knees, arms now wrapped protectively around her head and sobs wracking her body. She felt her there before Brittany touched her, kneeling down behind her and placing her legs either side of the smaller woman she wrapped her arms around her waist and drew her to her chest, feeling her tense at the contact.  
"Just let go San, it's okay to let it go"  
She whispered, placing a small kiss on the back of her neck, her lips connecting with the tan skin and sending a shiver through both their body's. Santana finally relaxed as she let her grief over come her, sobs consuming her body and tears falling from her eyes to no avail. Brittany just held her close and whispered calming words into her ears, brushing the hair from her face and kissing her cheek, her forehead, her nose, anywhere but her lips.

When Santana had finally regained her composure she pulled away from Brittany, backing herself up against the wall, leaving at least two meters of distance between them.  
"You broke my heart"  
She shot, raising her eyes to the ceiling, blinking back fresh tears.  
"I know"  
The other girl said, moving closer slowly.  
"I'm sorry"  
She whispered, finally reaching Santana at the wall and gripping her waist again, pulling her into her lap.  
"There's nothing I can say Santana, except say I'm sorry and I will be forever. I didn't know how much it would hurt you and I love you"  
Santana nodded, burying her head into the crook of Brittany's neck and inhaling, letting the familiar scent fill her head.  
"I don't want this to happen Britt"  
She breathed out, voice shaky.  
"You are in my veins, you heard me say it; I know you heard me say it. I just need you as a friend though at the moment, I can't trust you not to leave like that again, especially with Luca, if you were to come into his life like that and then leave all of a sudden, we'd never get over it"  
She said, contradicting her words by pulling the other woman closer. Brittany returned the embrace and nodded, thinking for a moment before looking down into Santana's eyes.  
"I can do friends, let's be friends then"  
She said, kissing her cheek softly and pulling them both to their feet. They exited the bathroom, pinkies linked and smiling softly at each other.

After returning to their wine, both girls joined Quinn in the lounge room where they watched a movie with each other, relishing in just being a trio again.  
"The Un-Holy Trinity reunited"  
Santana had slurred, breaking into a fit of giggles, after drinking the largest fraction of the wine bottle, the alcohol swimming in her system. It wasn't until she had passed out; pressed up against Quinn, legs hanging over Brittany on the couch did Quinn look at Brittany sympathetically. Reaching her hand out to rub the other woman's shoulder.  
"You've never been just friends Britt"  
She said.

Brittany looked down at the sleeping form of Santana and gave her a small smile, looking at Quinn and releasing a shaky breath.  
"I didn't realize so much had happened Quinn,"  
She said, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose.  
"I was naïve to think I could just come back and pick up where I left off, I have hurt her so deeply, I was the first and one of the only people she trusted and I abused it, now I'm not too sure if we'll ever be like that again. As hard as I pull for her, she just keeps pushing me away"  
Brittany sighed, running her hand across Santana's leg and watching the Latina as she slept.  
"I wish I could go back and tell myself not to be afraid of love,"  
She whispered.

Santana woke the next morning curled up on the couch with a throbbing headache. She tried to move of the couch and realized she was being held back, she looked down at her body to see a familiar, milky white arm flung firmly across her stomach, holding her in place and molding her to Brittany. She became very aware of her back pressed firmly into the other woman, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end and her breaths to become sharper and faster.  
"Britt?"  
She whispered, wiggling around slightly in an attempt to wake the blonde, failing.  
"Brittany?"  
She whispered again, a little louder this time and shaking the girl's arm. Brittany leapt of the couch, sending Santana hurtling to floor and tangling her in a mess of cushions and the comforter that had been around their legs.  
"Shit, Santana"  
Brittany laughed, pulling her to her feet for the second time in twenty four hours.  
"You have to warn me before you wake me up like that, I always thing Mama Lopez is coming into the room to yell at us"  
Brittany said casually, scooping her hair up into a messy bun and moving into Quinn's kitchen, immediately opening a cupboard and pulling a box of painkillers out, handing them to Santana and filling her a glass of water.  
"You had your 'hangover' face on"  
Brittany shrugged in response to Santana's raised eyebrow, pulling a bowl from another cupboard and filling it with lucky charms starting her ritual of sorting through them to separate the marshmallows from everything else.

Santana laughed as she drank her water, flushing down the pills and proceeded to eat everything that went into Brittany's 'everything else' pile; resuming their lifelong tradition.

"Hey Britt?"  
Santana said, as they were sharing their breakfast, Brittany still searching intently for the marshmallows in the mess of everything. The blonde hummed in response, Santana taking it as her cue to continue.  
"I was just wondering if you maybe, if you have time I understand if you don't but if you felt like it, did you maybe want to come around on Monday afternoon, and spend it with Luca and I?"  
She asked, watching as the blonde stilled her movements and stared emotionless into the cereal. Santana was quick to backtrack, automatically becoming defensive with Brittany's lack of response and putting distance between herself and the other woman.  
"I get it if you don't, it's cool I thought I'd just ask but what-"  
She was silenced by a finger to her lips and Brittany's grinning face in front of hers.  
"Stop rambling Santana, you're not giving me space to say yes,"  
She said laughing as she guided the girl closer to her again and back to her cereal.  
"I'd love to spend the afternoon with the two of you"  
She whispered, picking up a small handful of marshmallows and tossing them into her mouth one by one, causing Santana to laugh with humor, and relief.


	6. Chapter 6

Santana sat anxiously on the floor of her apartment, creating a tower of blocks with Luca, in an attempt to build a castle.  
"_Mami que lo estás haciendo mal" _(Mommy, you're doing it wrong)  
Luca shouted. Santana looked up into the gaze of her son, glaring impatiently with a range of blocks on the floor between them.  
_"Lo siento, mi hijo" _(I'm sorry, my son)  
She said, reaching forward and pulling the little boy into her lap, burying her face in his hair. Luca giggled, flinging his arms around his mother's neck and placing a sloppy kiss to her cheek, causing Santana to smile.

They were interrupted by a knock on the apartment door, causing Luca to leap from his mother's arms and run to the door, waiting for Santana to catch up.  
"Who is it?"  
He called through the door, hearing a laugh from the other side.  
"It's Brittany, who's this?"  
The person on the other side of the door called out. Santana leaned against her counter, observing her son talk to her, her Brittany.  
"It's Luca"  
He called back, smiling.  
"Luca, Luca who?"  
Brittany called, earning a stomp of the foot from the small boy.  
"Luca Lopez"  
He huffed, a frown similar to his mother's token glare on his features.

Santana laughed to herself as she moved to open the door, revealing a grinning Brittany.  
The smile on her face dropped when she saw the reaction of the little boy, crouching down to eye level to talk to him.  
"What's the matter?"  
She whispered, moving her face to reach his. The boy looked up at her with a sad expression.  
"You forgot me,"  
He whispered, kicking his foot against the carpet.  
Brittany gasped, pulling the small boy into her arms and sitting down on the carpet. She began to whisper in the boys ear, his face slowly going from solemn to happy in a matter of seconds, he looked up at her and nodded, running off back to the lounge room after high fiving the blonde woman.

Santana laughed at the exchange and moved to hug her friend respectively.  
"What did you say to him?"  
She asked, pulling away from Brittany slightly but remaining connected to the blonde. Brittany smiled down at Santana, moving away from the brunette and into the kitchen.  
"I said, I could never forget someone like him because he is very important to someone that I love very much, so I love him because he keeps her happy, then I asked him if he like superheroes, because I think he might be one"  
She said seriously, nodding at Santana causing her to laugh.  
"You really are something Brittany Susan Pierce,"  
Santana said, moving to get two glasses, filling both with water and handing one to the blonde, smiling sweetly.  
"It's the truth!"  
Brittany exclaimed, accepting the drink appreciatively.

"He's really great Santana"  
Brittany said, nodding her head to the doorway of the lounge room where Luca was playing. Santana smiled to herself, turning her back to Brittany to look at her son, a content smile on his face as he stacked the blocks on one another, slowly building his tower up again.  
"He really is Britt,"  
She whispered, allowing herself to get lost looking at her baby.

Brittany and Luca had been playing with each other in the lounge of Santana's apartment for two hours, Luca proceeding to unpack every toy he owned when Brittany had expressed interest in playing with him. They were playing with action figures when Santana walked into the room.  
"Okay _Mijo, _time for bed"  
She said, earning a groan from the small boy.  
"But _Mami, _Britt was the superman and I was the villain we was going to play"  
Santana chuckled and ruffled her son's hair affectionately.  
"Were, baby, you were going to play"  
She said, lifting him into her arms and kissing his cheek.  
"But now you have to go to sleep"  
The little boy folded his arms across his chest and pouted, earning a laugh from Brittany who had begun packing away the toys that they had managed to spread across the whole expanse of the room.  
"Will you tell me a story _Mami?"  
_The young boy asked, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hands and yawning. Santana caressed his back delicately, her lips resting against his cheek still.  
"If you want baby,"  
She said, kissing her son again and beginning to walk to his bedroom.  
"Can Britt come?"  
He asked, turning his head to look up at the Latina. Santana stopping her steps and looked back at the blonde, who was staring at the both of them affectionately. She cocked her eyebrow at the woman and looked down at her son, pretending to be deep in though she raised a finger to her chin.  
"Hmmmm, I guess, only if she waaaants to"  
Santana said, causing series of giggles from the little boy and a jaw breaking smile from the woman in her lounge room.

Once Luca had been dressed and was ready for bed, the all sat in the small boy's bed, Luca laying on Santana, his head resting on her neck.  
"At the far end of town…"  
Santana begun, running her hand up and down the boy's back. Brittany grinned, remembering the story from when Santana used to tell her it in order to get her to sleep when they were little girls.  
"Where the Grickle-Grass grows, and the wind smells slow-"  
"And sour when it blows"  
Brittany cut in, looking over at Santana and smiling warmly as Santana giggled.

"And no birds never sing excepting old crows"  
Brittany frowned, trying to remember the next line when Santana finished it for her.  
"Is the street of the lifted Lorax" 

They continued to recite the story with each other, laughing and doing the voices with Luca giggling softly between them, his breaths evening out as the story progressed. Brittany stared down at the young boy lovingly, marveling in the way his little chest would rise with every breath, and his brow creased when either of the women beside him stopped talking. She couldn't resist running her fingers through his hair, smiling at how the dark, raven colour contrasted like his mother's against her fingers.

"Then the Lorax and all of his friends may come back."  
Santana whispered, finishing their story and leaning down to press a kiss to Luca's head, allowing her lips to linger on his forehead, the little boy sleeping silently beneath her touch. Brittany removed herself from the bed and offered her hand to Santana, helping her climb down from his bed silently and keeping an arm around her waist as they both turned around to look at the boy, sound asleep. Brittany moved before Santana did and raised the comforter up to cover his body, kissing her fingers and then laying them softly on his head, proceeding to run her fingers through his hair.  
"Goodnight little Luca"  
She whispered, turning to look at Santana in the doorway, receiving a smile from the woman.

As Santana stood at watched Brittany care for her son, she couldn't help but think of how domestic they looked. Shaking her head she reached out for Brittany, taking her hand and guiding her to the kitchen.

The clock about the door read 10:46pm, Santana turned to Brittany, underestimating how close behind her she was and tripping into her, Brittany's arms automatically wrapping protectively around her.  
"Uh, did you drive here?"  
She said, studying the blonde's face. Brittany frowned returning Santana's look.  
"I don't have a car San, I'll just walk,"  
She whispered, not letting go of Santana and pulling her slightly closer. Santana rolled her eyes at the blonde, smiling at her softly.  
"Brittany, it's almost eleven o'clock, I'm not letting you walk the streets of New York this late. Just stay here?"  
She said, eyes slipping down to Brittany's lips briefly before returning to her eyes, one more inch and they would be touching.  
"Do you have a spare room?"  
Brittany asked innocently, noticing Santana's glance and slowing releasing her arms from around the woman. Santana frowned at the loss of warmth as Brittany put distance between them, taking steps back to lean against the wall.  
"I don't, but that's okay I'll just sleep on the cou-"  
Brittany laughed softly, ensuring that she would not wake the sleeping boy just down the hall.  
"Don't be ridiculous Santana, it's fine, I'll just walk home,"  
The blonde said, moving to grab her discarded jumper from the hook by the door. An hand grasped her bare arm and Brittany gasped at the sudden contacted, turning to find Santana looking at her with worried eyes.  
"Just sleep in my bed, I mean, it's not like we've never slept together before, uh in the same bed I mean, and friends sleep in the same bed don't they? It should be okay. I just really don't want you walking home tonight"  
Santana rambled, her grasp on Brittany tightening and pulling her away from the lay in Santana's bed that night, wide-awake next to the other woman. Santana had leant the blonde an old t-shirt and had handed her a toothbrush, directing her to the bathroom before they had both climbed into the bed. She lay next to Santana, intoxicated by her smell and warmth, relishing in being close to her, not wishing to trade the moment for anything. Santana turned to face Brittany, mumbling in her sleep and leaning into the blonde, fitting her head into the crook of her neck and tangling their legs together. Slinging an arm around Brittany's waist she let out a content sigh, snuggling closer to the other woman.

Slowly Brittany's eyelids closed.


	7. Chapter 7

The body in Brittany's arms when she woke the next morning felt a lot smaller than the one that had clung to her all night. Brittany opened her eyes to a crop of curly red hair wedged in between her and Santana, his arms wrapped around Brittany and Santana watching her intently over the boys head.  
"He got scared last night"  
She whispered, moving her gaze to her son, Luca stirred between the two woman, whimpering quietly and causing Santana to place a hand on his back. She kissed the top of his head and then returned her eyes to Brittany's.  
"I'm sorry if this is weird"  
She whispered again, running her hand up and down the small boys back and then it finding a home, linking her fingers with Brittany's.  
"This is just what we normally do when he's scared,"  
She said, raising her eyebrow in a silent challenge to Brittany.

Brittany nodded her head, glancing down at the boy, still fast asleep, still clinging to her.

After a while of just laying and watching each other, Santana rolled out of the bed. The clock beside her read seven o'clock and she groaned inwardly as she began her morning ritual of getting ready for work. She stepped into the bathroom off her bedroom and started the shower, turning her head to see Brittany still awake in the bed with a fast asleep Luca snuggling into her.

She stepped into the shower and let the hot stream of water rush over her, releasing all of her tension and nervous energy. Brittany Pierce was in her home, Brittany Pierce was in her home, with her son and she liked it.

She stepped out into her bedroom to find both Brittany and Luca gone from the bed, the clock now reading half passed seven. She opened the door to her wardrobe and selected a pencil skirt, and a modest, white blouse, pulling them both into the bathroom and completing her routine.

She walked down the hall towards the kitchen and stopped suddenly at Luca's bedroom door, hearing voices. She stepped closer to the door and listened through a small crack, the door being left slightly ajar.

"What do you think love is Luca?"  
She heard Brittany ask, after both had finished giggling. There was a pause before Luca spoke up, his three-year-old mind computing slowly computing the question.

"Love is when even when I'm sick and yucky, _Mami _still kisses me all the time. And even though _Mami _and Daddy are more friends like my friends and me than like other mommies and daddies, they still love me lots. And love is like when _Mami _got all smiling and happy when she sayed Brittany and then when you comed she smile was then this big"  
The little boy said, causing the blonde to laugh at his attempt of stretching his arms apart.

"What do you think love is Britt-Britt?"  
The little boy asked, Santana still listening through the door.  
"I think love is, when everyone else tells you that you can't do something and then a special person tells you that you're the only one in the world that can do it, or when you're sad and just them walking into a room makes you feel all better"  
Brittany said, tickling the boy and making his laugh hysterically.  
"Or when they walk to see you in the rain AND when it's cold, just to hold your hand-"  
"That's silly! They'll catch a cold!"  
Luca cut in, still laughing.  
"I think love is when you can't imagine anyone else sharing your cereal, or wearing your clothes. Or you could live forever only listening to their voice, or their laugh"

Brittany said seriously, causing Luca to stop laughing abruptly.  
"Do you love me Britt?"  
The little boy asked, looking up into her eyes seriously. Brittany pulled Luca into her arms and kissed the top of his head.  
"Sweetie, I think I love you more than anything in the world"  
She whispered into his hair, watching the door intently until Santana entered the room.

Santana put her hands on her hips and walked into the room!  
"Now, I just left my bathroom to find both my chickens were gone! Who can tell me what happened there?"  
She asked, causing Luca to giggle.  
"I wanted to get dressed _Mami_, and then Britt-Britt comed to help me"  
Luca exclaimed, nodding at Brittany sitting on his bed.  
"Came baby"  
Santana said, walking into the room and placing a kiss on his forehead.  
"Brittany came and helped you"

She pulled the small boy into her arms and made eye contact with Brittany, nodding her head to the kitchen in order to get breakfast under way.

They were sitting at the kitchen table in Santana's apartment, Brittany and Luca bonding over Lucky Charms. Santana reached over Luca to take everything that Brittany was sorting into her 'everything else' pile, the marshmallows being thrown into her mouth again, one by one, both women holding eye contact and staring into each other's eyes.

Not missing the exchange, Luca quirked an eyebrow at his mother in true Lopez style.  
"Brittany…"  
He said, slowly folding his hands in front of him and waiting for a response from the blonde, who looked over at him slowly, humming in response.  
"You and _Mami _share cereal, does that mean you love each other?"  
Luca asked, causing Santana to choke on the cereal she'd just put into her mouth and look at Brittany in alarm.

Over Santana's coughing, and Brittany's stuttering, the doorbell to Santana's apartment rang, causing Santana to leave the kitchen quickly, throwing a lingering glance back at Brittany.

Luca remained silent, watching the exchange between the two woman and then proceeding to stare at Brittany until a deep, chesty laugh broke his line of though.  
"Daddy!"  
The little boy screamed out, climbing down from his seat and launching himself into the person in the doorway behind Brittany's head. The blonde turned around in time to see a man with sandy blonde hair lift the boy up, holding him close and kissing the top of his head.  
"Hey boy, how are you kiddo?"  
He asked, swinging the little boy back and forth, causing him to laugh loudly and giggle.  
"Nothing Daddy, we were just having breakfast, me, _Mami, _and Brittany"  
The little boy said. Brittany felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Santana reach over her again, swiping one of her marshmallows and tossing it into her mouth, grinning down at the blonde triumphantly, causing Brittany to smile affectionately at her.  
"Oh, shi-I mean shivers, sorry! I'm Oliver, Luca's favorite parent"  
A voice said, interrupting the two woman's staring contest, a hand held out to Brittany. Brittany looked up into the man's blue eyes and gave him a smile, putting her hand into his and shaking it firmly.  
"Brittany Pierce"  
She said, holding eye contact and eventually letting go of the hand.  
"So I hear"  
Oliver said, looking at her sternly.  
"I see you've made quite the impact on my family"  
He said, causing Brittany to flush red and stare down at the cereal in front of her. Santana's hand, having not left her shoulder, squeezed her reassuringly.  
"Leave her alone Oli, you're making her uncomfortable"  
Santana said, taking three mugs from a cupboard and beginning to fiddle with her coffee machine.  
Eventually placing three coffees down at the table and sitting beside Brittany, giving her a smile.

"I think I'm allowed to be wary of who is spending time around my child, Santana. It's not very safe to just bring random new people into either of your lives."  
Oliver said, staring between the two woman and causing Santana's head to snap towards his.  
"First of all, OUR son, Oliver, Luca is OUR son and secondly, Brittany is one of my oldest, most trusted and fantastic friends, I've known her longer than Quinn, Rachel and Kurt COMBINED so please do not dictate to me who I can permit to spend time around the little boy that is half of me also, and happens to be the one that ASKED for Brittany to come over."  
Santana said defensively, reaching out under the table and linking her fingers with Brittany's.

Santana stared challengingly at Oliver, Luca sitting silently at the table, eating his cereal. Oliver eventually relented, his shoulders sagging slightly.  
"Okay, I'm sorry Brittany. I just get defensive over my son, and my best friend"  
He said, staring at her and meaning every word of what he had said. Brittany smiled back and released her hand from Santana's, bring it up from under the table and holding it out.  
"Let's try again then, Brittany Pierce"  
She said, smiling encouragingly at the man.  
"Oliver Williams"  
The man responded, grasping Brittany's hand and smiling at her over the top of his coffee mug.  
"It's nice to meet you." 

At eight thirty, Santana placed the three coffee mugs into the sink, lifting Luca into her arms and peppering kisses over his face.  
"Be good for Daddy, make sure you drink lots of water, and I'll see you tomorrow night"  
She said, placing one final kiss against his cheek and handing him to Oliver.  
"I love you, _Mijo_"  
She said, brushing his curls from his eyes.  
"Love you, _Mami_"  
The little boy said, snuggling into his father.  
Brittany stood behind Santana in the apartment and slowly made her way to the door. Santana looked up at her, slowly pulling her blazer up her arms.  
"Do you need a lift home?"  
She asked biting her lip. Brittany smiled at the other woman and pulled her into a hug, wrapping her arms around her waist whilst Santana wrapped her arms around her neck, burying her head into the small space where her shoulder meats her collarbone.  
"I should be okay to walk"  
She breathed, lurching forward unexpectedly and kissing the Latina on the cheek.  
"Have a good day at work San"  
She said, exiting the apartment behind Luca and Oliver.

Oliver held the elevator door open for Brittany and she stepped inside, smiling sheepishly at the man. The stood side by side with Luca chattering away randomly between them.  
"I feel like I need to say something protective"  
Oliver said finally, turning to look at the blonde.  
"Because I feel threatened by you're presence, even though I know you're not doing it on purpose and I feel the need to say that you won't recover if you hurt either of them. Especially her"  
He said, staring at her intensely.  
"We can make this work Brittany, or it can be hell. I'd prefer to have an amicable relationship with you for my son and for Santana, I can tell you are very important to her and I think it has a lot to do with what happened before I met her. So this is the only warning I will give you, I can Google how to hide a body"  
He said, nodding to himself and going over his words. Brittany looked up at him with a smile on her face, reaching out her tickle under Luca's chin.  
"Thank you Oliver, but I don't have the intention of hurting either of them, especially her, ever again"  
She said cheerily, stepping out of the elevator with a skip to her step and exiting the foyer of the apartment complex with a wave to the boy and his father; the sun shining brightly on her glowing face.


	8. Chapter 8

Santana stepped into her office, closing the door behind her and collapsing into her desk chair.  
"Rough morning Lopez?"  
A voice asked as they entered her office, handing her a cup of coffee.  
"You have no idea Fabray"  
Santana said, taking a mouthful of the hot drink and humming appreciatively.  
"I forgot that Oliver was coming to the apartment this morning and Brittany stayed over."  
She said into her coffee cup, eyes closed and leaning back into her chair. The silence that followed her statement was unnerving and caused Santana to look up at the other woman in her office.  
"What are you two playing at San?"  
Quinn asked, sitting down and crossing her legs in the seat across from Santana at her desk. Ignoring Quinn's question, Santana began to pull files from the draw in her desk, rifling through pages until she had what wanted.  
"So, with the Michaelson's case, are we going self defense?"  
She asked, opening her laptop and beginning a new document.  
"Santana come on, I can see right through you"  
Santana continued to type, alternating between reading off the file and returning her eyes to her computer screen.  
"If we do plead self defense, we'll need to find a way to allow everyone to observe the initial attack"

At that, Quinn stood up and leaned over the desk, closing Santana's laptop.  
"I know what you're doing Santana Lopez, and it's not going to work. Deny as much as you want that there is a problem right now, but it's still real. Now I'm here, offering myself and my advice to you, so stop avoiding me!"  
Quinn said, holding eye contact with Santana for a number of seconds before Santana spoke up.  
"You're a Psycho"  
"And you're still a Bitch"  
Quinn said, smirking in victory and sitting back in her seat.  
"Now spill."

_Senior Year_

"_San?"  
Santana felt soft fingertips dancing up her back as she lay in bed.  
"Santana?"  
The hand roamed down her back, slowly being drawn up, patterns and shapes being swirled on her dark, exposed skin.  
"Baby"  
Brittany drew out the end of the word, tapping Santana's shoulder gently in an attempt to wake the slumbering Latina.  
"Hmph, Brtt, tryna slp sto"  
Brittany giggled at the smaller girl and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her bare body close to her and flipping her over in the process. After receiving a kiss to her forehead and then her lips, Santana slowly started to wake up. She permitted the blonde to kiss her a few more times until responding, threading her fingers into Brittany's hair and deepening the kiss, pulling away only to catch her breath before connecting their lips again._

"_That was a nice way to wake up"  
Santana said lazily, pushing the hair out of Brittany's face and behind her ear. Brittany grinned down at the brunette and then leaned forward, placing another brief kiss to her lips.  
"One day we'll wake up like this everyday San, except we'll have babies, and we'll be married, living in our own house"  
She whispered against Santana's lips, causing the other girl's heart to flutter and the butterflies in her stomach to start flying and doing somersaults.  
"Yeah, we will"  
Santana agreed, her fingers absentmindedly playing with Brittany's hair still.  
"What would we call them?"  
Brittany asked, reaching her hand up and pulling Santana's hand from her hair, threading their fingers together.  
"hmmm?"  
Santana asked, beginning to kiss Brittany's knuckles as she looked up into her eyes.  
"Focus Baby!"  
Brittany giggled, removing her hand from Santana's, sitting up and pulling the other girl into her lap.  
"What would we call out babies?"  
Brittany asked, leaning her head on Santana's shoulder, causing Santana to resume dragging her fingers across Brittany's scalp._

"_I don't know Baby, what do you think?"  
Santana said, looking down into Brittany's eyes, captivated by the deep blue.  
"I don't care San, I'll love them forever and ever anyway, they'd be perfect, don't you think? You and me, in one little person?"_

_Santana grinned and leaned up to place a kiss against her girlfriend's lips, allowing her mouth to linger close to the other girls as she whispered against them.  
"I love you Brittany Susan Pierce, and I would love nothing more than to have two, or three, or one hundred little babies with you and grow old together"_

"It's just, I'm living this life, the one that we were going to live, with a son and he's beautiful, it was meant to be our life Quinn, but she left, she gave it up, I'm so confused. I need her so much; I want to be with her, so badly! But I don't know what I'm meant to do from Luca's perspective, it'd break his little heart if she left again, he wouldn't be able to it and I don't know if I can trust her not to go!"

Santana said, burying her head into her hands. Quinn moved from her place in front of Santana, pulling the smaller woman up into an embrace.

"San, Luca will be happy if you are happy and I don't think you need to worry about Brittany leaving him, she already loves him so much, she loved him from the moment she laid eyes on him! She talks about him constantly. It's time you do something for you San"  
Quinn said, giving Santana a final squeeze and walking to her purse and picking it up. Heading to the door, she turned and looked at Santana.  
"Just think about it San, you can still have your perfect plan."

Brittany had bought her dance studio two weeks into moving back to New York, and it had been opened a month after, receiving in influx of students immediately, given its accessibility and her high qualifications and experience. She was mainly teaching children but aiming to begin adult classes further down the line.

She had stayed late after a class to work through some paper work that she had acquired, yet to employ a secretary and more people to help out, it was her role to file all the information about new students.

A tapping on the door to the studio stole her attention as she flicked through pieces of random paper.  
"Sorry, I'm closed, you'll need to come back tomorrow"  
She called towards the door, carrying a box of files into the small office the studio held.  
"Britt, it's me, please let me in!"  
Santana called out, breathless after sprinting to and from the subway in order to make it to the studio, she had been held back late at work going through a new, high profile case and lost track of time.  
"Santana!"  
Brittany shouted, running the door and opening it immediately to the shivering Latina  
"It's freezing outside AND nine o'clock! What are you doing out this late!"

She scolded, running her hands up and down Santana's arms in an attempt to warm her up. Giving up; Brittany just pulled the other woman tightly into her body, ceasing Santana's shivering and causing her to melt into the other woman.

After thirty seconds, Santana pulled away from Brittany; her arms remaining around the blonde's neck and it turn, the blonde's remaining around her waist, locked firmly and afraid to let go.  
"Where's Luca?"  
Brittany asked panicked, looking around Santana to find the small boy missing. Santana smiled softly and returned the hug, delicately dragging her fingers across Brittany's neck.  
"He's at his Dad's tonight."  
She said softly, the small smile never leaving her features.  
"Britt, I love seeing you with Luca, I love seeing you care about him, and I love how from the moment you both saw each other, you were perfect together; it makes my insides feel all warm when I think about the three of us together and I think I want to give this, us a try"

Brittany's eyes lit up and Santana's words, her smile growing bigger every second until she was sporting a cheek splitting grin.  
"I would like that a lot, San"  
She said, leaning in slowly, but pausing a centimeter away from the other woman's lips  
"Is this okay?"  
She whispered softly, small breaths from her mouth falling against the lips of Santana, opposite her. Brittany waited for the answer, eyes closed and heart thumping until Santana slowly closed the distance, her lips grazing Brittany's in a tentative way until she gently pressed down, harder sealing what their hearts were screaming for with a passionate kiss. Breaking apart, Santana looked up into Brittany's eyes, and pecked her softly again.  
"That is more than okay, but Brittany, if we're going to do this, you need to be patient with me, I uh-haven't been in an intimate relationship since you left, and I uh, haven't been with anyone since Luca was born, so it's all a bit new again for me, the last time I did this whole thing I was a teenager and now I'm an adult, there's so many things to think about, we have to be mindful around Luca and it'll take me a while to get used to us again and I'm going to have to work up to trusting you and o-"  
Brittany giggled softly as she pressed her lips to Santana's again, a smile on her face as she kissed the woman.  
"Santana, I understand, and I am always willing to wait for you, you waited for me, it's my turn now. I love you, regardless of time distance, circumstance, you don't have to say it back until you're ready, so don't freak out. But this is what I want, I just want you and Luca, I want it forever" 

The two women walked hand in hand to Brittany's apartment, both sporting incredible smiles. When they reached the door, and it was unlocked and opened by Brittany, Santana hesitated. Turning around to look at the Latina, Brittany smiled softly.  
"Do you want to stay the night?"  
She asked, reaching out to hold Santana's hand, caressing the back of her knuckles gently. Santana eyes shot up to Brittany's fast, panicked and guarded.  
"San, I'm asking you to stay the night, nothing more"  
Brittany said, pulling the woman to her body holding her close.  
"We're taking it slow, remember?"  
She whispered into Santana's hair, putting both hands on the small of her back and rubbing adoringly.

Later, when Santana was held close to Brittany, fingers threaded together and arms and legs a tangle of one another, Santana fell asleep with a smile on her face, feeling Brittany's lips kiss the back of her neck before she fell away from the world.  
"I love you"  
The blonde whispered, and joined her.


End file.
